June 1, 2008

Book Thing...

...even though I should be writing a follow-up Maison Jansen post. The scanning for that post is in process, so it will be a little later in the week...

Kitchenography and I have established a Sunday routine - Farmers Market at the crack of eight, breakfast at some random dinerish place and then a trek to the Book Thing. I've noticed that books in the decorating section have been sparse lately, and so I've been looking more closely at some of the other sections. Kitchenography always makes a bee-line for the cooking section, as you might imagine, and I glance through it.

I love biographies, so I head there next and usually end up meeting Kitch there. A few months ago, I found the 1971 edition of Living Well is the Best Revenge, the story of Gerald and Sara Murphy, by Calvin Tompkins. I recently found Sara and Gerald: Villa America and After, a biography of the Murphys by their daughter Honoria, who was their only child to survive past childhood, but I haven't read it yet. Today, I found Everybody Was So Young: Gerald and Sara Murphy: A Lost Generation Love Story, by Amanda Vaill. Whereas Living Well seems mainly to focus on the Murphys in Europe, this seems more comprehensive. Now I just need to find Making it New, and I will have a good library about them!

I also love to stop by the small etiquette section and found two interesting books. First is Miss Manners' Common Courtesy, In Which Miss Manners Solves the Problems That Baffled Mr. Jefferson. This slim volume reminded me of the dear Mr. Easy and Elegant Life, so I will be posting it to him shortly. The other book is the Wedding Embassy Journal, a 1939 publication by Marie Coudert Brenning, which has a beautifully embossed white leather cover. It looks like it will be fun to read. Lest you think I snatch up all of the treasures, there was a book that got away. Style Court mentions it here.

There are some books I pick up for their titles alone, and today, I found another one. The slightly cumbersome title is The Incredibly Lazy Person's Guide to a Much Better Body. That's certainly starting out with the bar set low, and not raising it by much! The final book is Date Bait, The Younger Set's Picture Cookbook, published in 1952. The pictures alone make this book worthwhile! The names of the recipes are hilarious, including shrimpola, a concoction of shrimp, tomato soup, rice and chili, and some revolting dessert called Heavenly Goo, which serves 20!

13 comments:

P-D, I don't know what to say. Thank you for thinking of me. Just reading you is gift enough.

I've never considered camping... I may have to break my rule and pitch a tent in front of this "Book Thing." I do have a terra cotta wine cooler "perfect for use at home or on safari" so it shouldn't be that much of a hardship.

Thanks P-D, something went bananas with my computer. It never did tell me that the comment was awaiting moderation or anything. My first inkling that something went awry was the inbox full of my replies... then I couldn't access your blog to remove them... ah well, thank you for maintaining my sangfroid for me.

I was fortunate to make it to New Haven to see the recent Murphy exhibit – it was remarkable – (as was the English Orinetalism exhibit across the street) – inspiring when people live a beautiful life in spite of (inspired by?) tragedy and failure. KDM

God, I wish I could get up early enough to go to the Farmers' Markets. I've gotten into the horrible habit of waking up too late. Lucky for me the school year is over. Unlucky for me that I still want to keep the same schedule.

I've had "Everybody Was So Young" on my reading list forever, so when I found a pristine copy last week (for less than the price of a white chocolate mocha!), I had to buy it. I'll have to keep an eye out for Living Well...

About Me

Pigtown Design is the musings of Meg Fairfax Fielding, a Baltimore-based writer, photographer and fund-raiser, who explores design, architecture, culture, and current events in Baltimore and around the world.